i'm andrea mitchell live in new york. dueling messages in ohio where in a few moments both candidates will be delivering speeches, appearing only about 100 miles from each other but with sharply different messages. as president obama widens his ohio lead in the latest polls, joining me for our daily fix, chris cizilla, managing editor of post politics.com and "washington post" political reporter karen tu multi. chris, first talk about the polls. how significant is it the double-digit lead in some polls now, cbs/"new york times" poll, the trend first in "the washington post" and our wall street journal/nbc news polls as well, is ohio moving fairly steadily into the obama camp? >> i would say the answer to that at the moment is yes. the post on monday did move ohio from a tossup state to a lean obama state. not just because of our poll that showed him up eight points but because of the wealth of

data we've had out there. i would say as a word of caution, i don't think anyone including the obama team thinks they are going to win ohio by eight or ten points. they are ahead at the moment. they're probably ahead and think they may win by three, four, five points, but remember how critical ohio is to mitt romney's math. hard to see how he gets to 270 electoral votes without it. why he's in the state today, president obama is in the state today. they don't spend time in states less than six weeks before an election by accident. >> chris, when we talk about this campaign, how is it possible, karen you weigh in here, how is it possible for mitt romney to win without ohio? there's a very narrow way but he would have to win both virginia and florida, and he's not -- he's not looking so great in those states right now either. >> one of the things --

>> right. >> one of the things that really is clear today also is there's a new mitt romney ad and this shows the real effect of that 47% mistake in the video because here's his first to camera ad, and what he's saying in the ad, is, you know, that he would take care of the middle class. let's listen. >> more americans are living in poverty than when president obama took office. and 15 million more are on food stamps. president obama and i both care about poor and middle-class families. the difference is, my policies will make things better for them. we shouldn't measure compassion by how many people are on welfare. we should measure compassion by how many people are able to get off welfare and get a good paying job. my plan will create 12 million new jobs over the next four years. helping lift families out of poverty and strengthening the middle class. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message, because we can't

afford another four years like the last four years. >> we don't usually play whole ads but this one makes it very clear, karen, that this is the kind of ad that you see from candidates who are really in trouble and trying to reconnect to voters and he clearly knows that he has a problem on that connection, that personal connection. >> yes. if he hadn't entitled his book "no apologies" there might be an apology in that ad for those comments. but the reason that he has a problem with an ad like this in a place like ohio, is that it is a state that has, in fact, seen some economic growth and it's doing better than a lot of the country is, and it can also see part of that growth is due to things like the auto bailout which are president obama's policies. so, again, this is a difficult ad to really connect with in a place where people look at the future and they really believe that it actually is getting better. >> and finally, chris cizilla,

when you look at "the washington post"/abc poll the impression that people had of romney's recent comments about people who don't pay income taxes. >> right. a majority of people, 54% view it unfavorably. the low 30s view it favorably. i would say the problem we talked about it, when it happened, is gaffes or errors or missteps or things you don't want out in public that make it in the public are most damaging when they reinforce a perception that either undecided voters or the public more generally have about you. that perception created i would say by millions and millions of dollars by barack obama spending in swing states is that mitt romney is a wealthy person who is buy and large looking out for the wealthy and dismissive of the poor and middle class. video reinforced that and i would say i would point to an nbc/wall street journal poll, when you mention the middle

class and romney ad, nbc wall street journal asked which candidate cares more or is more focused on the middle class. obama had a 19 point lead, 53/34 on that. i don't think mitt romney wins that question even if he wins the election but he can't lose it that badly. >> chris aliz scizilla, and tha karen. thank you for joining us. >> joining me for a closer look into the race, vin weber adviser to the romney campaign and governor ed rendell, a political analyst. welcome to you both. vin, this is a big challenge. you know the numbers, the battleground states better than i do. ohio, ohio, ohio. how do you do it if ohio becomes out of reach? >> we're not going to give up on ohio. it is critical. everybody makes that point and it's a valid point. no question the president has had a few good weeks starting with the democratic convention. no question we made a couple mistakes and we're down a little bit. i don't think we're down by quite as much as the polls you

cited show. let's not quibble about that. the romney campaign understands where they stand. they've got to refocus and drive home the basic questions that should drive this campaign. the president has some advantages in the polls today. he has one disadvantage going forward which i would simply call reality. we got the august family income report out the other day shows that family income declined again. chairman bernanke and the fed told us last week absent action we're headed toward another recession. that reality that we have to drive home to convince people that they, indeed, do need to make a change in course. >> housing starts up and stock market up, so there's a well effect that people seem to be feeling and people in the polls feeling better about the economy for one reason or another. >> consumer confidence up as well as the two things you cited, andrea. the problem is, you've been focusing mostly on ohio. what i think is the most

devastating in "the new york times" poll, is if it's true that mitt romney is nine points behind, that's the ball game. you cannot lose pennsylvania, ohio and florida, and hope to become president. doesn't matter whether you're a democrat or republican. you lose those big three swing states and it's over. if those polls are relatively accurate and i think the cbs poll sort of trended the same way, then mitt romney needs two things to get back in this game. one i think he can do and a good debate performance. make no mistake about it, mitt romney is a good debater. he won virtually every republican debate except south carolina where newt gingrich started off hot and stayed hot. mitt romney is disciplined, focused in a debate he sounds and loos like a president as he did in his interview with brine williams on education nation yesterday. he will have a good debate performance. two, he needs an -- some form of

implosion or serious mistake by the obama campaign or some international event that doesn't rally people around the president but focuses people on a perceived weakness. i don't think either of those are likely to happen. in terms of a mistake by the obama campaign, they've always been fairly safe and cautious. if this were a sporting event, i would say they're running out the clock right now. >> running out the clock and, in fact, perhaps too cautious. you've got hillary clinton going to, perhaps, a dozen meetings with foreign leaders and president obama already out of here in ohio, not meeting with any of the foreign leaders, do you think that they are playing it too safe by not meeting with president morsi, not meeting with netanyahu, avoided any pitfalls here in new york? >> well, maybe, but i heard bill clinton answer that question. he as always dispenses wisdom. the problem with meeting let's say netanyahu and the egyptian

leader and libyan leader is you didn't meet with five or six other leaders. you've got to be all-in and meet with 15 or 16 or you just don't meet with any. and given the nature of the campaign, i mean if you look at prior presidents at this u.n. meeting, they didn't meet with any leaders either. >> well, i -- vin? >> governor rendell saying, president clinton is saying. on the other hand this is not just any moment. this is a moment of greatest foreign policy crisis in this administration. so for him to decide that the campaign is more important because he'd have to meet with too many people in new york doesn't fly with me. although a lot of good news for the president in the polls, we've established that, the foreign policy front is not one. "the wall street journal" poll shows he's seen a precip does drop in his handling of foreign policy and that could become an ish. >> >> one problem with that, and that is governor romney when asked what he would do

differently, doesn't come up with a very cogent or believable answer. >> before i let you go, ed rendell, wanted to ask you about pennsylvania. here you've got the president up by 12 points in the latest polls. what's going on in the senate race where senator bob casey is only up by six points? >> well, i don't -- i can't answer that at all, andrea. i think bob casey will win in double digits. there's no question about that. he's always been very, very popular. in fact, he's only lost one statewide election ever. and you remember who that was to. he's tough to beat. mr. smith is a very nice man and, you know, he comes across as very earnest, but i don't think bob casey is in a bit of trouble. >> if he's in a bit of trouble then the senate is definitely in trouble for democrats. >> no. >> before you go, both of you, please weigh in on the nfl. ed, i know you're a huge football fan. vin webber, the vikings. >> look, for a minnesota vikings fan, there is nothing to

complain about after we beat the 49ers last sunday, so i'm going to have to leave all the complaints to governor rendell because we're happy in minnesota. >> you've got a free one, didn't you? >> i'm happy to say that all of a sudden everyone, governor romney, paul ryan, we're all pro union all of a sudden. >> everybody's in favor of the union. >> everybody's in favor of the union. >> don't you think that roger goodell and the owners and everyone else at this point, you know, have to -- have to cave in and do something? >> sure. >> about the replacement refs before we go through another weekend like that? >> i don't know if they can get them in even if they negotiated a settlement today. i don't know if the regular nfl refs could get back for this weekend. i think they've got to make a deal and they can get some concessions i'm sure from the union but they've got to make a deal quickly and roger goodell is really in the hot seat and this is a time when he has to lead the owners, not follow the owners. >> this is a game that's already been in some fire for injuries

to players, for roughness, things like that. they don't need another problem. they better settle. >> i agree with vin. >> talking to the players rep in a moment coming up. and thanks to both of you and if you have nothing to do this weekend we may put you on the field. ed rendell and vin weber, you could do a better job. >> iran's president taking aim at the u.s. and israel at the united nations. the annual diatribe. the replacement referee controversy. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. at optionsxpress we're all about options trading. we create easy-to-use, powerful trading tools for all. look at these streaming charts! they're totally customizable and they let you visualize what might happen next. that's genius!

we knew you needed a platform that could really help you elevate your trading. so we built it. chances of making this? it's a lot easier to find out if a trade is potentially profitable. just use our trade & probability calculator and there it is. for all the reasons you trade options - from income to risk management to diversification - you'll have the tools to get it done. strategies. chains. positions. we put 'em all on one screen! could we make placing a trade any easier? mmmm...could we? around here, options are everything. yes mom, i'll place a long call to you tomorrow. i promise. open an account today and get a free 13-month eibd™ subscription when you call 1-888-280-0159 now. optionsxpress by charles schwab. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life.

phillips'. and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb.

the frustration over the replacement refs was building but finally boiled over after the bad call cost the green bay packers the game monday night. the growing anger has not had any effect on the owners or

commissioner roger goodell as far as we know. as the lockout continues, i'm joined by demars you smith, executive director of the nfl players association. what are you hearing? are they in talks and do you think something may break? >> having gone through this before with the nfl owners and with the national football league, i think the only advice to all of our friends and certainly the advice we gave to our players was, until the ink is dry on a new deal, we will still have a situation where we believe that the work place is less safe because the real referees aren't doing their jobs. >> is there any possibility, do you think, i know you have to wait until the ink is dry, any chance at all that they would be -- the real refs back by this weekend? >> we would hope so. as you can imagine the national football league hasn't invite med to those meetings. >> i could imagine not. >> complete shock. but at the end of the day, look, we had about 4500 injuries last year among the players at the national football league. the fact is most of those injuries occurred during games.

and we know that because these referees have been taken off the field by the nfl owners we do know for a fact that the work place that our players' work is less safe. until we see the real refs on the field, the players and our fans should do whatever we can to increase the pressure to get this done and certainly on behalf of the players in the national football league we will pursue any legal action we believe is necessary to keep our players safe. >> we've seen what coaches and managers are not very happy as well. john fox in denver, he's been fined $35. redskins offensive coordinator kyle shanahan fined $25,000, we had interesting video of what happened with kyle shanahan going into the tunnel and chasing after some of the replacement refs and belichick,

of course. how do you think the coaches and managers are handling all this? >> well, i think -- >> there goes kyle. >> coaches have a very difficult time, obviously, in this league, getting their teams to play at the highest level. i mean the great thing about football is that on any given sunday, you can have a team win. i know that -- coaches and players are frustrated when all their efforts that go into winning a game are possibly changed by either a bad call. i also know that certainly talking to some of the coaches on the side and certainly the players, they will tell you this workplace, this field, these games are much less safe now because of the eplacement refs that the owners have chosen. that's the key issue here. the owners have chosen to put replacement referees on the field and basically take away nearly 1500 years of officiating experience off the field. that's a mistake and that's going backwards. >> and in a day and age when you have instant replay how can they

explain taking ten minutes to go over these things. the fans are frustrated. it's a real fan experience problem. >> look, as a football fan myself, sometimes watching these games is like watching video on dialup. they're slow, choppy, and sometimes they just stop and pause. the real issue that we're facing here is everyone knows that what our guys do on the field, i know i'm biased, but we believe it's the best sport in america. our fans love to watch our players play, they go to a game to see the best athletes playing the best game in the world. our athletes, our players, really want one thing, they want to be able to go to work and know that the workplace is as safe as possible. and each and every time they step on the field they know that they are risking a career-ending injury. we shouldn't be in a world where the fact or the instance of those injuries are increasing because the national football

league made a decision to pull the real guys off the field at a time when we certainly need them on the field. >> thanks very much. thanks for all that you do. >> thank you. >> up next our politico briefing. todd akin is staying in. what does that mean for republican hopes to retake the senate? this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. [ female announcer ] ordinary lotions aren't made to treat eczema, so it can feel like you're using nothing at all. but neosporin® eczema essentials™ is different. its multi-action formula restores visibly healthier skin in 3 days. neosporin® eczema essentials™. now we need a little bit more... a little bit more vanilla? this is great! [ male announcer ] at humana, we believe there's never been a better time to share your passions... because the results... are you having fun doing this? yeah. that's a very nice cake! [ male announcer ] well, you can't beat them. [ giggles ] ohh!

you got something huh? whoa... [ male announcer ] humana understands the value of spending time together that's a lot of work getting that one in! let's go see the birdies. [ male announcer ] one on one, sharing what you know. let's do it grandpa. that's why humana agents will sit down with you, to listen and understand what's important to you. it's how we help you choose the right humana medicare plan for you. because when your medicare is taken care of, you can spend more time sharing your passions. wow. [ giggles ] [ male announcer ] with the people who matter most. i love you grandpa! i love you grandma! now you're a real fisherman. [ male announcer ] humana. stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer.

call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

well we brought back layaway, so you can pay a little bit at a time. my kids would be like [tearfully] this is the best day ever! [ sobbing ] [ male announcer ] layaway's back. shop now and have more time to pay. walmart. the decision was made by the voters of the state of missouri -- [ applause ] and i have one purpose going into november and that's replacing claire mccaskill. >> he's in and staying in after hanging back for a while to try to avoid having republicans rally around todd akin the deadline has passed. republicans can't replace him.

incumbent claire mccaskill is finally coming out and going after him. >> todd akin in his own words on march 18th, 2011, todd akin said he didn't like social security. on september 3rd, 2011, todd akin said medicare was unconstitutional. on march 16th, akin said he wants to abolish the minimum wage. on april 21st, said he would eliminate student loans. on august 19th, todd akin said only some rapes are legitimate. what will he say next? >> i'm claire mccaskill and i approve this message. >> so, politico congressional editor martin cady joining me now. this race is going to be so mean and so hot and at this stage, mccaskill is going after him, but he's got a lot of support from the -- a lot of the faith networks as well as home schoolers. he's got mike huckabee, rick santorum. how do you game this right now? >> this race is not over. remember a month ago, everyone

was just writing this off, everyone from mitt romney to mitch mcconnell to john cornyn said you have to drop out, what you said was terrible, not going to give you any money. some of the money is starting to creep back in. some of the endorsements. newt gingrich helping him out, senator jim demint endorsed him, so did rick santor toetorum and missouri's junior senator roy blunt. this race is not over yet. we haven't got an great look at this. polls ranging from mccaskill up one point to mccaskill up almost ten points. don't write this off. wouldn't be surprised if more conservative pac money does start to trickle back in. they need it to win the senate. >> watch karl rove in this regard. once you see roy blunt going in you know even though all of the establishment republicans and he's part of the leadership, all of the establishment republicans starting with mitt romney made very clear how they feel about todd akin but if control of the senate and regaining the senate

is at stake they're in and i don't think it matters to them what he said. todd akin as a house member and as a lot of these senators were in the house, they worked with him, they know that this is not someone they like, that is a colleague they want to be around. it all has to be do with being the majority leader. >> that's the moral compromise. they thought what he said about legitimate rape was horrible, wrecked his candidacy and the national republican senatorial committee and the rnc made a promise not to put any money in. but i mean today, this week, this race is starting to get a little more buzz and if more and more republicans think that you know what the path to our majority has to run through missouri they're going to find ways even if they keep themselves one step removed to support todd akin. they'll find ways to get money in there even if it doesn't come directly from the rnc or nrcs. >> mark cady with our politico briefing. right now, in bowling green,

ohio, president obama speaking to the crowd. >> by the way, those of you guys who have seats feel free to sit down. i'm going to be talking for a while here. and those of you who don't make sure you bend your knees because sometimes people faint and fall out. not because i'm so exciting but because you've been standing a long time. there's an election going on here in ohio. and in case you're wondering what kind of impact that's having, i was talking to my campaign manager, he was meeting with this couple who had this adorable 4-year-old son named sammy and they were very proud that sammy knew what was going on and there was a picture of me on the wall and the patients said, who's that, sammy? sammy said, that's barack obama. and then the parents asked, and what does barack obama do? and sammy thinks for a second

and he says, he approves this message. true story. true story. that's what i do. i approve this message. and ohio, that's because starting on october 2ed, which is just six days from now, you get to start voting. you get to have your say. [ applause ] you can register to vote all the way up until october 9th, but if you're already registered you can start voting in six days. this is important because you've got a big choice to make. and it's not just a choice between two parties or two candidates, it is a choice between two fundamentally different paths for america. two fundamentally different choices for our future.

my opponent and his running mate are big believers of top down economics. they basically think if we just spend another $5 trillion on tax cuts that favor the very wealthiest, then -- don't boo. vote. vote. vote. vote. vote. >> as we watch president obama in bowling green, ohio, about 100 miles away, there is mitt romney taking the stage in bedford heights outside of cleveland. >> what spring wire is. you guys know what spring wire is? no. okay. well, you've seen wire that you get from the hardware store and you bend it and it stays in the same shape you bend it to. spring wire you bend and it goes right back to where it started. so when a car, for instance,

their little valves that go up and down that allow the fuel and air to go into the cylinder and also to let the exhaust out, those little valves are open and shut by springs and they make the wire that goes into those springs that opens and shut valves and also make the wire that goes into highways. you may not know known that steel goes into concrete highway not just as rebausr but they ta cable, stretch it, pour concrete over it, they call that stressed concrete and the spring that the steel tries to pull that concrete together, they make that too. they make the kind of springs that go into your garage door. ever look at the garage doors, see the big round spring up there lifting up the weight of the garage door. do not ever try to adjust that on your own. i is it that once. and when the bolt was unloosened the wrench went flying across the room at high velocity almost through the other wall on the other side of the garage.

do not try that. they make these spring wires and metal comes in here, they stretch it, heat it, they put it in various baths and give it the property of returning to its original shape. that's what they do here. and they do it well. some of their customers have gone out of business. we talked about what's happened to some of their major customers. some have gone out of business because competition from overseas which is often unfair has driven their customers out of business and when their customers ut o business, they lose business here and people lose jobs. one of the nations that has cheated over the years has been china. they've artificially held down the value of their currency and by doing that, the prices of their products are artificially low and when their prices are low and they compete with our manufacturers, our guys go out of business and people lose jobs. and that's why one thing i will do from day one is label china a currency manipulator, they must not steal jobs in unfair ways.

mitt romney in bedford heights, ohio, outside of cleveland, amping up his criticism of the administration for not being tough enough in china. a trade issue in ohio which has suffered problems of competition from overseas but right now has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and where president obama has pulled ahead by double digits in some polls. we'll be right back. up next, iran's president addressing the general assembly here in new york today and emmy winning tv host singer andy williams died at his home in branson, missouri after a year long battle with bladder cancer. andy williams bestnown for his rendition of "moon river" which won for baes son inreakfast of tiffanies. launched the andy williams show in 1962, on the air until 1971

and continued as a yearly christmas special. he was a close friend of robert f. kennedy and his wife ethel. william sang at the late senator's funeral. a year later he named his son after rfk. kerry kennedy said that williams was a generous and long term supporter of the rfk center. we will miss him. ronald reagan called williams a national treasure. he recorded 18 gold and three platinum records with hits including "can't get used to losing you," he owned and operated the moon river theater in branson and fans have taken to twitter to say good-bye to our friend. andy williams. with the spark cash card from capital one, olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards

of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a stunning work of technology. introducing the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection.

and the first-ever es hybrid. hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad at the u.n. blasted israel today, his annual address as expected. >> translator: continued threats by the uncivil sized zionists to resort to military action

against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality. a state of mistrust has cast its shadow on the international relations while there is no trust or just authority to help resolve world conflicts. no one feels secure or save even those who have a stockpile thousands of atomic bombs and other arms in their arsenals. >> joining me former ambassador nicolas burns with harvard's kennedy school. i hate to quote a yankee to a red sox passionate red sox fan but as yogi berra would say, this is deja vu all over again with ahmadinejad attacking israel and empty seats in the u.s. delegation. today they said because it is the yom kip pur holiday and found that additionally offensive. >> you're absolutely right, andrea. he is not the figure he once was

in 2006 and 2007 when he came to new york and lots of people paid attention. he's the same old person with the same old vile and vitriol hatred against israel. he's a dramatically reduced figure in his own country. he's had a very difficult last two years as president. he's been warring with the supreme leader of iran as well as with the parliament there. he will be out of office next year. the united states government was right not to show up in the general assembly. at least 12 others countries boycotted the event. that's a little unusual at the united nations but he deserves it because he doesn't ever say anything useful and given our strong support for israel in particular, we had to make a statement today, the obama administration did make a statement, we're not going to listen to him anymore. >> do you think that the administration made a mistake in having the president really not in action here? this is the first time, really unprecedented for him to have no bilateral meetings not with just

our closest aallies, but morsi is here, this is a pivotal moment with egypt, he spoke to the united nations, all these meetings held by hillary clinton and not by the president of the united states. jon stewart interviewing king abdullah of jordan last night and posing that question. >> you were at the u.n. today. does anyone -- is there any discussion amongst world leaders about the american president not being available for face-to-face meetings? is that upsetting? >> not that i heard. everybody is there preparing for their speeches and side meetings with other leaders. that went an issue. >> we are, in fact, perhaps in some respects blowing this out of proportion is this. >> most likely probably. >> the king being diplomatic and polite. what about the fact that the president was not engaged here? >> well, you know, i think the president, in his defense, very hard working person, he was on the phones to mohamed morsi

after our embassy was attacked in cairo two weeks ago, working, of course, also on the phone to prime minister netanyahu the night before that, so the president's engaged and leading the united states in the world. the symbolism is important as you are inferg and would have been been better if the president would have been able to have a few bilateral meetings with the top leaders, leaders of the middle east in crisis, but there's no question that he's on top of his game and he's had a very successful run at foreign policy over the last three and a half years and it's interesting, andrea, to see that foreign policy has made a real comeback, right in the heart of this political campaign right now, everything from the middle east crises to the iran problem with israel and with us, and, of course, china as a scapegoat for both candidates really, and i think it's important that we continue this discussion of foreign policy as the debates approach over the next month. >> exactly. now we've got netanyahu arriving

tomorrow, standing at the same podium where iran's president was today. how does he inject himself into the campaign or combat the iranian threats and rhetoric? >> i think prime minister netanyahu is a smart guy, has a real responsibility as he will do, obviously, to take these charges by ahmadinejad seriously. if you're an israeli given israeli and jewish history you cannot disregard the leader of a foreign country who routinely, not just once or twice, says he wants to wipe israel off the map of the world. so prime minister netanyahu has an opportunity tomorrow which i'm sure he'll take to be a strong advocate for his country, stand up for israel, he can count on the united states to support him, the one thing that obviously you wouldn't want to see the prime minister do either tomorrow or at a different point during his time here is to interject himself into our political campaign. not wise for foreign leaders even if they're close to us like the prime minister to do that.

and on this issue of iran as you know, prime minister netanyahu has recently issued a challenge to the united states that we ought to set red lines so points at which the united states will use military force to attack iran if iran does x, y or z and i think most people believe that setting red lines would be a major mistake, president obama, of course, has rejektsd that as he should. we don't want to -- we do not want to go to war based on some artificial red line. we only use military force if we absolutely have to and there's a lot of time left as president obama said yesterday, to negotiate with iran as well as to sanction them in the months ahead. i think that's the only advice that i think a lot of people are giving prime minister netanyahu now. he certainly has a right to defend himself against the lies that ahmadinejad told today. >> nick burns, great to see you, even if you are a red sox fan. thank you very much. >> thanks, andrea. up next, education nation. the high-tech, hands on

learning, rolling into a town near you. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. she was a picky eater. well, now i'm her dietitian, and last year, she wasn't eating so well. so i recommended boost complete nutritional drink to help her get the nutrition she was missing. and now she drinks it every day. well, it tastes great! [ male announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones, and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a delicious taste. [ dietitian ] now, nothing keeps mom from doing what she loves -- being my mom. [ male announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost.

has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush?

be happy. be healthy. continuing our week long education nation summit at nbc news and msnbc we're focusing on solutions and take a look at this, spark truck. a mobile hand's on learning platform that has been touring the country reaching out to kids and communities across the nation. this was the thesis project for a group of stanford design students who saw what an invaluable help it could provide to teachers and schools on tight budgets. joining me the co-founders jason and eugene. thank you both very much. jason and eugene, we first met a couple thousand miles from here in colorado and we talked then about wouldn't this be cool to meet up again here. you've had a lot of miles, about 1200 miles now, since -- >> about 12,000 miles. >> i mean since we last talked. eugene first, what are you trying to do with this? let's bring the viewers in to

your experiment at going, you know, door-to-door really trying to help troubled school districts and reaching out to students? >> sure. so we set out as a project that seeks to about bring back more hand's on learning in schools. we were interested in giving kids opportunities to tinker with their hands and build stuff and bring them into the world and we discovered that this act of making something, of prototyping and objecting and making it real, has a lot more benefits than just the tangible physical ones. so, we've discovered by talking to a lot of teachers we visited and a lot of students that what we're really doing is we're instulling a prototyping mindset, a growth mindset, we are here to encourage students it's okay if something doesn't work the first time and you can fail and learn from that failure and we think those kinds of lessons apply more broadly in life than just academia per se. >> jason, what kind of things are until truck? >> so we have some pretty cool

tools, laser cutters, 3d cutters, glue guns, glue sticks, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and hammers -- >> high tech, low tech, everything. >> yeah. >> what age groups are you aiming at? >> we're trying to reach fourth through seventh graders primarily because we feel in the younger grades you get a lot of opportunities to work on open-ended sort of fun crafty projects, but as you move through school, things get locked down a little bit more as you have to prepare for college and there's lots of standardized testing that takes place. we want to reach students at the point where those exploratory exercises are going away and show them that there's still value in having some more open-ended things that allow you to experiment, and to use a little more creativity. >> and are you finding that teachers and school districts are open to this? >> oh, my goodness, yes.

so i'm -- we thought that initially they would be very welcoming and inviting to us because we have things like laser cutters and 3d cutters and the technology would be exciting. after we leave teachers and principals are getting back in touch with us and saying the experiences these kids are having, so great, so far removed from the typical experience in a classroom and they have to read something and memorize somethin experiment in a classroom and so it's just been a great, i think, opportunity for teachers and students to contemplate a different kind of learning. >> it's been really cool. one of the teachers that we're going to be visited in a couple of days actually, she is from a town in massachusetts called east long meadow, so we contacted she. she contacted us and said, hey, look, can you visit us? this is months ago and we're like, maybe, we'll see. over the course of, you know, a lot of e-mail, i guess what she is trying to do now is setting up a science fair in conjunction with the visit. she's gotten together ten to 12

others around the state and country and raised money of sponsors and trying to use the visit as an excuse to sort of change the culture and change the dialogue of how things get taught in the classroom and her district. >> i so love what you are doing. i want to know where you put it in new york city down midtown manhattan in the middle of the u.n. and clinton global initiative and everything else happening here this week. you can't cross the street. >> we came to be at the education nation summit and didn't realize they were also happening the same week. we tried to drive through midtown once and said, no thank you. the truck is out where it's slightly more open. >> well, spark truck is a great project. i don't know what is your future as you head back to the west coast eventually but we thank you and all the school districts across the country thank you and i know it's exciting for both of you.

jason and eugene, let's stay in touch. >> thank you so much. definitely. >> thank you for being here. what political story makes headlines in the next 24 hours, that's next on "andrea mitchell reports." [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars

back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? here in new york, it's ahmadinejad spoke today. netanyahu speaks tomorrow. chris -- >> right. >> that is a political context, as well. and the president nowhere near, of course, a meeting with netanyahu. he will be in virginia beach, virginia. >> i was going to say, andrea, you know, ahmadinejad today, netanyahu tomorrow and president obama not. obviously spoke yesterday but not doing anything with netanyahu or anyone else. you know, i think everyone who pays attention to this stuff is paying attention to netanyahu relating to a nuclear iran, more

sanctions and what role the u.s. should have. president obama we talked about this yesterday on the air. president obama in ohio today, in virginia tomorrow. this is focusing on the nuts and bolts of campaigning, winning those swing states and worrying about foreign policy for a later time. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. that does it for us. my colleague thomas roberts has a look at what's next. hi, thomas. >> hi. hi, everybody. we are following the swing state scramble. polls show the president with a clear lead in ohio. both come paining hard there one week before early voting begins there. plus, egypt's new president makes the debut speech before the united nations as iran's president ahmadinejad delivers his final speech. former state department official joe rubin will join me live. and developing news on the nfl. that r ef lockout, there are reports now that a deal could be

very near but has the damage done to the nfl's reputation? it's our n"news nation" gut check. finding bayer advanced was huge. i was really surprised by how well it worked. and i'd definitely use it again. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com.

wthe future of our medicare andr electiosocial security. for... man 1: i want facts. straight talk. tell me your plan... and what it means for me. woman 2: i'm tired of the negative ads and political spin. that won't help me decide. man 2: i earned my medicare and social security. and i deserve some answers. anncr: where do the candidates stand on issues that... affect seniors today and in the future? find out with the aarp voters' guide at earnedasay.org

i'm thomas roberts in for tamron hall. following big, developing news. the presidential candidates in a scramble. new polls showing the ticket fighting. any moment congressman paul ryan expected to speak in colorado and governor romney crisscrosses the state of ohio, a state no republican president ever lost and where early voting begins next week. >> i know there's some people who want more for years but we don't want four more years like the last four years. bigger government, stimulus. >> meanwhile, president obama is also in ohio trying to hold on to that lead there. co